Lady Gaga Pays Tribute to David Bowie at the Grammys

Lady Gaga was tasked with putting on the 2016 GRAMMYs tribute to the late icon David Bowie. She had Nile Rodgers with her, who produced two Bowie Albums: Let's Dance & Black Tie White Noise, to play guitar and help create the show. Gaga delivered a high energy performance that utilized the latest technology, which is something Bowie was always fond of doing.

And of course, it featured her in numerous costumes. She was able to seamlessly cram some of Bowie's biggest songs into the almost 7 minute performance, which can be difficult considering how much Bowie changed through the years. However, everyone involved were able to make it work. Her opening performance of "Space Oddity" utilized a new Intel projection technology, which projected the lightning bolt from Bowie's Aladdin Sane album cover onto her face. Luckily it worked well and matched up perfectly on her face. I personally loved her moving futuristic robot-looking piano.

Let us not forget though: The Grammys have only awarded David Bowie with one Grammy Award... Let that sink in. And he wasn't even first nominated until 1984 despite his acclaimed 1970s work. The fact that he wasn't very mainstream in the 70s is probably part of it, as the Grammy voters tend to go for mainstream even today, but especially back then. He should win a few more for his acclaimed new album Blackstar next year, though he sadly won't be able to receive them of course.

Songs featured:
Space Oddity
Changes
Ziggy Stardust
Suffragette City
Rebel Rebel
Fashion
Fame
Let's Dance
Heroes

Putin & The Sochi 2014 Soviet Union Olympics

Sochi 2014 Logo, the worst Olympic logo ever

I'm surprised people are still saying the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics are being held in Russia, because from now on I'm going to be calling it the Soviet Union. It feels as if they've slowly turned back into the Soviet Union, led by an oppressive government and a dictator/former KGB officer named Vladimir Putin that seeks to deny people rights simply for being born different. I'm surprised they haven't opened up concentration camps for gays yet. Though who knows, that could be on the horizon from Comrade Putin and his cronies. People who think gays "choose" to be gay are both mental and stupid. The Russian Government fits the bill, seeking to snuff out any gay Russians who would dare come out. Lady Gaga recently lashed out at the Russian government, for seeking to ban her under their "anti-gay propaganda" stance. That is a law they enacted after artists like her started expressing support for gay rights on Russian soil at concerts.

We all know what happened to Pussy Riot (the female Russian punk rock band, jailed on "hooliganism" charges) when they dared to do something their government didn't like. They were jailed for going to an Russian Orthodox Church and performing an anti-Putin song to protest. Wait...I thought communism was gone? Guess again, its just in a shiny new package. And yes, "hooliganism" and "blasphemy" are both things you can be jailed for in Russia. In 2013.

Yet Russia, aka the Soviet Union 2.0, is supposed to be opening their arms to the world with the Winter Olympics. Fat chance of that happening. Boycotting would be pointless, it is far better to go there and make some noise. Some people say you shouldn't get political at a sporting event. However, the Russian government is doing exactly that by trying to push their ignorant laws on athletes and fans. USA runner Nick Symmonds dedicated his silver medal to gay friends, right on Russian soil. Emma Green Tregaro, a Swedish high jumper, painted her nails rainbow colors and was then sadly forced to paint over them by the IAAF.

Keep up the protests everyone. It should be interesting to see what goes on when the big stage of the Sochi 2014 Olympics rolls around.

Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show 2014

Beyonce may or may not have knocked the Superdome power out with her high energy Super Bowl XLVII Halftime show, but people are already talking about the Halftime show for Super Bowl XLVIII. It will be the  first outdoor cold weather Super Bowl for the NFL, from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Many people in the media have speculated that there will be no halftime show due to the possibility of snow wreaking havoc on it, but organizers are saying that is NOT true. There will be a halftime show, and there are already some names floating around.

There is speculation about the possibility of going to someone from the NY/NJ area, which has obviously produced many music superstars. Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga to name a few. Apparently on the NFL Network, they suggested that U2 is being considered for the show. They would be my choice if I had any say, which I sadly do not.

U2 previously performed at the Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime show in 2002, just a few months after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Many consider it the greatest halftime show of all time. They gave fans both excitement and reflection as a tribute to those who lost their lives, with victims' names rising up to the ceiling of the Superdome as the band went from 'MLK' into 'Where The Streets Have No Name', ending with Bono showing the American flag inside his jacket. They also have another connection with the NFL, performing along with Green Day to re-open the Superdome the year after Hurricane Katrina.

If there is anyone who can do an outstanding job while being tasked with the first ever outdoor cold weather halftime show, it would be U2. Bono & U2 thrive on that. Plus, they're aiming to release a new album in the fall with a tour to follow, and there is no better promotion than performing live in front of 90-100 million people.

Its still very early, and the list of potential performers is probably large, but it is fun to speculate.

12-12-12 Concert TONIGHT

People all over the world can watch the 121212 Concert tonight starting at 7:30pm ET. There are already plenty of rumors about some of the surprises in store for the concert, which will help raise money for the Robin Hood Foundation for Hurricane Sandy relief. A ton of channels will be showing it, such as AMC, Fuse, and HBO. Check the website for more.

One such rumor that has been virtually confirmed is that Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic will be reuniting as Nirvana, with Paul McCartney taking over Kurt Cobain's vocals! A fusion of the biggest musical act of the 1960s & all time, The Beatles, with the biggest band of the 1990s, Nirvana. Apparently they will be performing a new song.

Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam will also be singing Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" with original Pink Floyd member Roger Waters.

With The Rolling Stones performing, one can also wonder who might join them onstage to take the female vocals if they perform "Gimme Shelter"? Lady Gaga is doing it at their concert on Saturday, so might she show up? Or Mary J Blige, who performed it with them in London?

Halloween Playlist

Happy Halloween! Need a Halloween themed playlist to scare up your day? I've thought up a few obvious and not so obvious songs for you to listen to or download.

1. The Beatles - "Revolution 9". The experimental avant garde track from 1968's The White Album is 8 minutes of "What the fuck?" It doesn't make sense, but a fun song to listen to around this time of year for its creepy sounds filled throughout. 

2. Michael Jackson - "Thriller". Well, this is the obvious one. The music video is the way to go, and pretty much everyone has heard this song and seen the video already. Listening to this around Halloween is the same as watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." A must for everyone. 

3. The Rolling Stones - "Sympathy for the Devil". A song sung from the point of view of Lucifer himself, the devil. Is there anything else you need to know? 

4. Bette Midler - "I Put a Spell on You". Not originally her song, but this version stands out for being in the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. And there's Sarah Jessica Parker pre-Sex and the City. 

5. The Cranberries - "Zombie". Zombies are in right now more than ever thanks to the massive record breaking success of The Walking Dead. 

6. Stevie Wonder - "Superstition". Possibly his most famous song, its also another perfect song for Halloween. The song brings up many of the popular superstitions that exist in our culture. 

7. U2 - "Until the End of the World". This one is especially good for the 2012 edition of Halloween, with all the Mayan calendar hooplah going on. 

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas cast - "This is Halloween". The song is made specifically for today's holiday, and is best listened to while watching the scene in the film itself.

9. David Bowie - "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)". You can tell this is creepy from the title, and the song is about a woman who turns mad. 

10. Lady Gaga - "Judas". How about a more recent song? Its not really about the devil, the devil is more of a metaphor in this song. Plus, Lady Gaga tends to scare some people, as well as dress up like its Halloween more than just on October 31. 

Angelina Jolie as Maleficent

Angelina Jolie as Maleficent

Angelina Jolie will be starring as the title character in Disney's live action film Maleficent, based on the iconic villain from Sleeping Beauty. The film focuses on her and presumably how she becomes so evil. I love the idea of basing a film around a villain as opposed to a hero or anti-hero, an idea which will no doubt pay off for Disney.

The first official photo of Jolie in costume has been released to much praise. Those prosthetic cheekbones (inspired by the ones Lady GaGa wore?) are outstandingly creepy. This will probably have to tide you over for a while, because the film will not be released until March 2014. Though I'm sure we may get a teaser trailer by the end of the year.

Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959)

She looks like a badass and true to the original version. Its been a while since we've seen Jolie in a fantasy film, so this has many people excited. Maleficent is such a unique and iconic character that it would be hard to even compare the role to any others. The film will be directed by Robert Stromberg, production designer from Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

Underrated Live Performances

There have been some truly epic live performances before, though some great ones have gone unnoticed to some who might enjoy them. First, is "Kite" by U2 live at Slane Castle in 2001. "Kite" is the fifth song on the album All That You Can't Leave Behind from 2000. "Kite" was never a single, but clearly should have been. It would have made the perfect followup to smash hit "Beautiful Day." But, people can enjoy it as a rarer live song. At Slane Castle in Ireland Bono and co were on their A-game, and "Kite" is my favorite performance from the show, which you can buy on DVD.

Think you don't like Lady GaGa or her song "The Edge of Glory"? Maybe you should listen to her amazing interview with Howard Stern. She gives a perfect description of the song and plays a piano version of it. Just her singing live and playing the piano. Its an emotional performance and not your average pop song, leaving Howard and Robin Quivers virtually speechless. Its more Elton John sounding than modern pop. I prefer this live version to the Born This Way album track you hear on the radio. I really think Lady GaGa should make an album with just her and a piano, maybe some guitar. I know many of her fans are dance music fans, but that's why she could make a remixed version to please everyone. 

2012 Grammy Awards Thoughts

The 2012 Grammy Awards are in the books, and here are the Best Performances (By the way, the awards now take a backseat to the performances, it's basically a long concert now):

Adele - Recovering from throat surgery, she gave an amazing performance of "Rolling in the Deep." She swept the night, and deserved it for saving the music industry. 2011 was the first time since 2004 that sales increased, and she was the reason. Without her album, they would have decreased again. And she may have spurred people into actually buying other albums as well. 21 has currently sold 6.5 Million Copies (the biggest sales total since 2004), and is on its way to 7 million, and possibly even 8 million before 2013.

Bruno Mars - It was like a mix between Elvis with his moves and Prince with his sound, and I was surprised how good it was. I didn't know much about him before the show, besides "Grenade", but I may have to download "Runaway Baby."

Paul McCartney - He ended the night with an outstanding performance of the "Golden Slumbers Medley" (joined by Bruce Springsteen & Dave Grohl) from the epic 16 minute Abbey Road Medley, which is the ending to The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. Music lovers should own Abbey Road already, if you don't, well what are you waiting for?

Jennifer Hudson - Performed Whitney Houston's classic "I Will Always Love You." She really did the song justice, one of the few who can, and it was a fitting tribute to Whitney and all the musicians lost in the past year. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt also did a wonderful job performing a tribute to Etta James. And none of them needed auto-tune or lip syncing, which brings me to the worst...

Worst performance of the night: Chris Brown. I just don't get him. After beating Rihanna he did another thing that irked me, allegedly, when he performed a tribute to Michael Jackson in 2009 and its rumored someone saw him use eye drops to make tears. Trying to use a death to your advantage? Not the way to go. Jennifer Hudson showed how it is done.

WTF? - Nicki Minaj. She performed that seemed based on 1975 horror classic The Exorcist. It was strange even for Lady GaGa. And the song was weak. She would have been better off performing "Super Bass" and bringing Sophia Grace and Rosie on stage. It would have been a feel good moment that still had people talking.

The Foo Fighters also gave two killer performances, and The Beach Boys reunited. The Beach Boys don't sound quite as good, but it was still nice to hear some classic songs. They forgot to call Uncle Jesse aka John Stamos.

Parks and Recreation & Other Funny Things

NBCs Parks and Recreation, starring SNL alum Amy Poehler, has been one of the smartest and funniest shows on TV, especially the current 3rd season. The three show punch of Parks & Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock may not have the ratings of Friends and Seinfeld, but all three shows pack the laughs and interesting characters.

This weeks Parks & Recreation finally gave us the Harvest Festival that they've been planning. It was my favorite episode so far, mainly due to some small things, like the Festival appearance of "Larry Bird's 84 year old Aunt Tilda Bird" signing autographs, and the Pawnee star mini horse Li'l Sebastian. Another favorite was a spoof of the Taiwanese animation videos:

Check out the first season if you've never seen it. 

And some randomness, but here is the exclusive new Lady GaGa music video. She's really outdone herself this time, and got out there with the people and has some great ice skating technique: